Harold Jenkins (Twitty, Conway)

1933 - Conway Twitty was born Harold Jenkins on the 1st of September, in the small town of Friars Point, Mississippi. His father, a riverboat pilot, taught him his first guitar chords when Conway was just 4 years old.

1943 - His family moved to Helena, when he was 10, and there he put together his first band, the Phillips County Ramblers.

1945 - He had his own local radio show every Saturday morning. While in Arkansas, He indulged his second passion baseball. He received an offer to play with the Philadelphia Phillies after high school but joined the Army instead.

1957 - He changed his name, taking the names from two towns in Arkansas.

1958 - He scored his first hit with a teen ballad, "It's Only Make Believe," on MGM, making him a teen idol of the day.

1965 - Eight years and three gold records later, he began his country career with MCA/Decca, and by the early '70s, he had scored four straight No. 1 hits including "Hello Darlin'." Many of them, featuring his signature growling vocal style, especially endeared him to female listeners.

1971 - 1974 - He released his first hit duet with Loretta Lynn, "After the Fire Is Gone," followed by "Lead Me On", "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" and "As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone".

1981 - By the end of his tenure at MCA, he had accumulated 32 No. 1 hits. Another 15 had reached the Top 5.

1982 - He moved to Warner Bros. (then Elektra) and reached No. 1 with remakes of the Pointer Sisters' "Slow Hand" and Bette Midler's "The Rose."

1987 - He returned to MCA, where he co-produced his albums with his wife, Dee Henry. The hits, such as "Julia" and "That's My Job" continued.

1993 - Became ill while performing in Branson, Missouri, and he died on the 5th of June, from an abdominal aneurysm.

1999 - Shortly before he died, he had recorded a new album, suitably called Final Touches. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.